Together At Last
by Marie McKinnon
Summary: When Elaine Minord finds herself partnered with her arch-nemesis Sirius Black for the school play, she is less than happy. By the end of the school year, she may feel a little differently. PG-13 for language and some kissing. Nothing more.


Together At Last  
Insanity by Marie McKinnon  
  
A/N: This started out as a cliche(sorry, I don't do accents) where Sirius Black took my authoress'  
powers and made me be his girlfriend. I wasn't happy about it, trust me. It got rather out of  
hand, so I decided I'd attempt a romance while dealing with writer's block on S.O.A.E (Sunset of  
an Empire, my novel). Please don't laugh at me. I'm really bad at this. I changed the characters,  
but it's the same idea. Actually, I only changed the girl's part because I couldn't have myself in a  
story. Well, I could, but it wouldn't work. For one thing, the girl in the story is supposed to be  
pretty, and I don't know how I'd do that...  
  
***  
  
"As a boost of morale, we will be putting on a play this year," Dumbledore announced  
after the glittering plates had been magically cleared and polished. "It will be Shakespeare's  
Antony and Cleopatra, though it will have been edited by the main characters to be more modern  
and to make sense. Auditions are on Friday afternoon for the roles of Antony and Cleopatra.   
After we have those characters set there will be more auditions. Now, bedtime. Prefects, lead the  
first years to their dormitories."  
  
At the Ravenclaw table, several seventh year girls grinned at each other. One, Elaine  
Minord, smiled wolfishly. Her light brown hair fell to the middle of her back, curled at the ends  
and in perfect condition, as usual. Large gray eyes framed by long black lashes opened and closed  
deliberately, spiting those foolish enough to disagree with her. She was confident in her ability to  
secure the role of Cleopatra. After all, how many girls had parents that had worked in the Muggle  
movie business? They were screen stars, and had most definitely passed their talent down to their  
only daughter. As long as Sirius Black isn't Antony, I'll be fine, she thought confidently. He'll  
probably do it just to bother me. Oh well. I can outshine him easily.   
  
Sirius Black. The very name brought on a red-hot rage. He had always been near her,  
trying to get her to date him by flattering her and commenting on her figure. Several of those  
comments ended with him in the hospital wing, but, as he said, he got more credit for taming a  
fiery one than for dating someone who batted her eyes at him and flattered him mercilessly. He  
never let up, not even when her three best friends were with her in their small circle. They, too,  
were furious on Elaine's part, but could do nothing about it. Just because he was handsome and  
winning didn't mean that he could have whatever he wanted, and she planned on showing him just  
that. The more she refused him, the more he showed up and pestered her. He thought she was  
playing hard to get just to make him like her more, though she really couldn't stand his  
overconfidence.   
  
"Elaine? Elaine? Are you paying attention to me?" Her friend Mary-Ann inquired. Tow-headed with the traditional bright blue eyes, she demanded attention and joked constantly.  
  
"What? Oh. I was thinking about the possibilities of Black playing Antony to my  
Cleopatra. That would be h***."  
  
"No s***. If he makes a crack about you, we'll be backstage. He won't forget it for a  
while," Mary-Ann growled, happy-go-lucky air gone.   
  
"Exactly. Well, I won't have to worry about it till Friday. Let's get these firsties up to  
their dorms."  
  
***  
  
Sirius, walking up the stairs with James, was chattering on and on about the play. "I bet  
Elaine'll get Cleopatra. If I'm Antony, she'll have to work with me. That means private study  
sessions." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.  
  
"More like snog sessions, by your definition, but that's beside the point. Maybe you  
won't get it, anyway," James pointed out.  
  
"What kind of a friend are you? You're supposed to tell me that Elaine'll fall head over  
heels for me after a week of play practise."  
  
"That, however, would be lying. If she hasn't fallen for you in the past three years, what  
makes you so sure that she actually likes you? I'm willing to bet she'll cop out of play practise  
the instant she hears that you're playing Antony."  
  
"So you admit that I'll probably get Antony?"  
  
"It was a hypothetical situation!"  
  
"Hypothetical situation my a**. C'mon, Prongs, you know I'll get it, no worries. Then  
Elaine's mine."  
  
"I have this gut feeling that says she'll object to that, but whatever, it's your week in the  
hospital wing, not mine."  
  
"Thank you for your optimistic outlook. I appreciate it." The two boys headed into  
Gryffindor Tower, joking about the many times Sirius had found himself beaten up by his 'prey,' a  
certain Ravenclaw seventh year who was taking no flattery.  
  
***  
  
Classes flew by, bringing the afternoon of the audition closer and closer. Elaine brushed  
up on her Egyptian history while Sirius fantasized about the so-called 'private study sessions.' On  
Friday, Elaine appeared in a pretty beaded necklace from her parents' stash of costume jewellery,  
supposedly something that Cleopatra would have worn. Sirius just came in his uniform robes,  
torn and tattered.   
  
He disappeared backstage immediately. No one was allowed to watch the auditions  
except the judges, so all the other candidates sat outside restlessly. Before Sirius left, Elaine was  
called in. Supposedly he had requested that he try a double scene with the next person in line.  
  
She walked with royal bearing, head held high. After having been given a script and told  
the page number, she opened it and read her cue to make sure she knew it. Once her cue was  
said, she wrapped herself in the layers of Egyptian history she had read and stepped out, inhibited  
by the long Roman-style dress she imagined herself wearing. There was Sirius, grinning evilly.   
He knew the scene, and mischieviously had picked the one that resulted in a kiss. It was obvious  
that Elaine didn't know what was coming, or she would have been angry and stumbling over her  
words. By the time the scene ended, her knowledge of Egypt and acting in general had secured  
her the part. Sirius wasn't satisfied, however. He wouldn't accept the part until the judges saw  
the end of the scene.  
  
"I could love no other but you, Cleopatra," he said, walking over purposefully. Elaine  
looked up with big eyes, turning on the charm. He brushed her hair back gently, electrifying her.   
She looked at her script and glared at Sirius. Grinning, the boy bent over her to whisper "I  
auditioned just because I knew I'd get to do this scene with you." He crushed her in an embrace,  
bringing her so close to him that she went on fire. The instant his mouth touched hers, he was in  
seventh heaven, not caring that Elaine was struggling against him. She wasn't strong enough to  
break away, which made Sirius even happier. Turning her head, Elaine triumphantly ended the  
kiss, only to have him pull her back for more.   
  
"That will do, Mr. Black," McGonagall ordered. He wasn't paying attention, so wrapped  
up in the tingle that ran through him was he. Elaine, however, electrified though she was, heard  
McGonagall's command with relief. Now he has to get off me, she thought happily. No such  
luck. Sirius continued, smoothing her hair.   
  
"Content though you may be to extend the scene, Sirius, I believe we have to make an  
announcement. You and Elaine have the leads and will have private practise every day. You may  
leave." He didn't move. "That is quite enough, Black! Let go of her! Now, Black, before I take  
the lead from you!" That got him away from Elaine in a hurry. If he couldn't be the lead, he  
couldn't do the scene, which made it all the worse for him. She jumped backward, bright red.  
  
"Can I refuse the lead?" She asked hopefully.  
  
"I'm afraid not. You will be practising with Mr. Black every day until June, so I suggest  
you figure out your differences now. You may leave."  
  
"I understand, I guess. Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome. Go back to your dormitory."  
  
Sirius, grinning from ear to ear, waited for her at the door. "Get away from me, you  
b******. I don't want to hear it," she growled furiously.  
  
"Too bad, cause I want to say it, so you've got to hear it."  
  
"Not if I kill you, I don't," she muttered.  
  
"But then you'd have no partner for the play, so you'd have to have another audition," he  
pointed out.  
  
"My point exactly."  
  
"We need to rewrite the script to make it more modern. Change a few names, make them  
witches and wizards, you get the idea. And in the end, where they die, we can make Voldemort  
kill them together. How's that?"  
  
"Let me guess, there are lots of makeout scenes in the middle, right?"  
  
"How did you guess? I thought it was a secret."  
  
"Knowing you, I could tell immediately. I can do practises from one to three in the  
afternoon. That's my free period."  
  
"Works for me. Meet me in the Great Hall tomorrow at one and we'll get to work."  
  
"Fine. See you there," she called over her shoulder as she stomped off to the Ravenclaw  
dormitories, deep in the heart of the school.  
  
The moment she entered her dorm, Mary-Ann bombarded her with questions. "Did you  
get the part? Who's Antony? What did you have to do? Was there any competition? Who's the  
understudy? Did you see the costumes?"  
  
Elaine flopped down onto her bed, nearly sitting on her(now mussed) hair. "I got the part.   
Sirius is Antony. This is going to be h***."  
  
"Oh no. You poor thing. There aren't any romance scenes, are there?"  
  
"Unfortunately, yes. There was a couple scene that we had to do for the audition. I  
didn't know what he was going to do until I looked at the end of the script. McGonagall had to  
yell at him four times and threaten him with giving the part to someone else before he'd let go of  
me!"  
  
"It must have been traumatising. We'll get him back, don't worry. I'm sure he's very  
pleased with himself. I can imagine him in his dorm, bragging to James about how he gets to kiss  
you onstage in front of the whole school and some of the parents."  
  
"You had to remind me, didn't you? We're making it more modern. I mean, who wants  
to see a story that was written about the year 39 B.C? We meet every day from one to three in  
the afternoon. I'm doomed."  
  
"I'd help, but I have Divination from one to three. Sorry. I can give moral support,  
though. How does that sound?"  
  
"Just kill me now. Please?"  
  
"I couldn't kill my best friend! It just isn't done. Sorry."  
  
"D***. Well, Black and I will work out our differences, at any rate."  
  
***  
  
James was reading on his bed when Sirius came in, looking very self satisfied. "You got  
the part, didn't you? And Elaine is Cleopatra, right?"  
  
"Yeah. We did a scene between the two of them for the audition. It ended in a kiss."  
  
"What did Elaine have to say about this?" James asked delicately.  
  
"She glared at me when she realised what was happening. By then it was too late for her  
to do anything, but she struggled when I grabbed her. Didn't work, though. I was too strong,  
she couldn't push me away."  
  
"Proud of yourself?"  
  
"No s***. We're rewriting it to make it more modern, just the two of us. We meet every  
day from one to three in the afternoon," he said happily, anticipating the occasion.  
  
James rolled his eyes. "I sense that the 'just the two of us' bit is important."  
  
"Hey, after what I've seen you and Lily doing, I don't think you can be any judge."  
  
He blushed red. "Point in case. I'll shut up."  
  
"Thank you," Sirius said happily. "I can't wait til tomorrow."  
  
"Somehow I don't think Elaine shares that feeling."  
  
"That's her problem. I've got her just where I want her."  
  
"You want her to stay in the Ravenclaw dormitories? Cause I can guarantee you, that's  
where she is now, pouring out her miseries to that Ana-Maria person. You'd better watch your  
back. Her friends won't be too happy with you, not after what you did."  
  
"Hey, I can handle them, no sweat. Elaine's mine."  
  
"You just keep on telling yourself that."  
  
***  
  
One o'clock came far too quickly for Elaine, but not nearly quickly enough for Sirius. He  
cut the end of his class to get to the Great Hall. At exactly one, Elaine appeared. Unruffled and  
calm, she pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill. Sirius looked at her like she was crazy.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Starting the rewrite, what else?" She retorted. "I don't want to be here any longer than I  
have to be. As soon as we get the rewrite finished we can do the real work. The acting. And if  
you won't help I'll do all the writing myself, which guarantees no romance scenes."  
  
"You can't do that," he said lazily. "We're not changing the storyline or the plot, just the  
way they say it and the setting. I asked Dumbledore about what was appropriate, and he told me  
to use my judgement. We're doing as little work as possible on the rewrite. Just change all the  
characters to make sense for modern times."  
  
She took a deep breath before losing her temper and knocking him senseless. "All right,  
fine. How do you suggest I change it?"  
  
"What about putting it at the Ministry of Magic?"  
  
" I think I get it. A young lady goes to see the Head of her department, they fall in love,  
and in the end die together. Does that satisfy, Your Highness?"  
  
"Yes, thank you. Dismissed."  
  
"I thought you'd never say that. I'm outta here." Elaine jumped up, grabbed her bag, and  
headed for the door.  
  
Sirius ran after her. "Hey! I was just kidding! Get back here!" He grabbed her arm and  
turned her around until she was facing him, gray eyes flashing. She tossed her head, flicking her  
hair back.  
  
"If you would kindly LET GO OF ME I'll continue with the rewrite," she said finally,  
wrestling her temper down.  
  
"I feel it my duty to escort you to your chair," he said softly, joking around. His tone  
gave her butterflies, reminding her of the many romance plays that her parents had starred in.   
How many times had her father been a dashing, brave young man to her mother's slim, beautiful  
girl? It always started with something like Sirius' offhand remark, and before the audience could  
take a bite of popcorn the two stars were so close that you couldn't see a pinprick of light  
between them. Sirius seemed to feel the same way. He edged closer until he was so near their  
robes were touching. It gave her a strange sense of security, having him so close, but her stomach  
was uncomfortable and tense, waiting for something to happen. Slipping his free arm around her  
waist, he turned her towards him, staring into her eyes for a second before putting the arm he held  
onto his neck. She searched his eyes for a reason or a reaction, but found nothing. He, too,  
found no reaction in her eyes. It was as though they both knew enough not to show what they  
were thinking. His other arm went around her waist, drawing her to him. Elaine glared at him  
and tried to pull away, but he just brought her closer.  
  
"Let go of me," she whispered. It was just a whisper, but it carried the full power of her  
fury.  
  
"I couldn't do that," Sirius replied, voice low. He wanted her so much it hurt. Instinct  
said to tell her that; after all, words were an asset. His head tilted slightly. She was still glaring  
and pulling away, but couldn't escape. Slowly, deliberately, he brought his face close to hers,  
stopping only when his bangs tickled her forehead. "And you know why." Each word brushed  
across her mouth, tempting him. He gave in to temptation, pressing himself against her. No  
words can describe how he felt. It was as though his whole body was waking up after having  
fallen asleep, tingling and itching at the same time, like pinpricks all over. All he wanted was to  
stay like that forever, her mouth on his, glued together.   
  
Furious at his violation, Elaine pulled away even while her lips remained. They were on  
fire, whether from anger or excitement she didn't know. With a final wrench, while Sirius was,  
um, busy, she broke his control and ran backwards, tripping on her robes and landing on the floor.   
  
He offered a hand to pull her up, but she whispered "Don't touch me. Get away." Hair  
dishevelled and tangled, she leapt up and back to the table, trying to pretend that nothing had  
happened. She sat down and looked at the script, copying down the edited version. Sirius came  
up from behind and sat down next to her. A long strand of hair was falling across her cheek,  
alone. His hand brushed it away automatically, but she stiffened. "Get off, before I get my  
wand," she growled.   
  
"What is wrong with you?"He demanded.  
  
"What do you think is wrong with me? Do you think I like getting kissed by someone I  
hate?"  
  
And do you think I like getting shoved away by someone I love? He thought sadly. It  
wasn't fair. He needed her. The way he felt when they were close... It had only happened twice,  
but he knew she was the only one for him. I'm starting to sound like James, he told himself,  
trying to cheer up. At least he has Lily.   
  
Taking his silence as an answer, Elaine continued. "It's all right for you. You go back to  
your dorm and brag about it. All your little friends laugh and laugh at Elaine, fighting against  
Black while he's kissing her. What do you think I do when I get back to my dorm? Sit and smile  
about it, remembering happily how it happened and anticipating tomorrow for the same reason?   
H*** no! I sit and stew until I'm furious, even angrier than I am now. Then my friends come in,  
ask me why I'm so riled up, and poof! We've got you in the hospital wing." She calmed down  
slightly, wondering why he looked so upset. "I'm willing to forget it happened if you forget as  
well. Nothing said. We come back tomorrow and do the rewrite, work together, and get it done.   
That's all."  
  
He stared. Elaine had offered to say nothing, do nothing, if he would do the same. He  
couldn't do that. James would ask him if anything happened while they'd been practising, he'd  
lie, and James would know. It wasn't that simple. Besides, how could he forget? Every time he  
saw her he'd remember how close she'd been, how he'd felt when their lips touched.   
  
She took the answer as a yes and said "Good. Meet you here tomorrow at one."   
  
He nodded and left, head hanging. He didn't see her touch her lips softly, remembering  
the way they'd been when he'd kissed her.  
  
***  
  
"That guy's got a lot of nerve! How dare he?" Nora, another of Elaine's friends,  
demanded.  
  
"Don't ask me," Elaine said. "I gave him a tirade, but I have a feeling that he wasn't  
paying attention. He just stared at me. I'm going to rewrite this now so I don't have to worry  
about it. Tomorrow we can run it through and then he can take it and make whatever edits he  
wants. I wouldn't be surprised if he added a whole lot of romance scenes. That's what he wants,  
isn't it? To make it look like I like him by kissing me in front of the whole school? If I pull away  
during the performance, I would be acting badly, so I can't! I'll have to let him kiss me!"  
  
"Why would it be bad acting?" Mary-Ann asked. "If you don't have a good answer, I'll  
tell you to pull away anyway. I know that's what you want to do."  
  
"It's bad acting because Cleopatra is in love with Antony, and wouldn't pull away from  
someone she loved. Makes sense, right?"  
  
"Yeah. I'm sorry for you, I really am. Are you going to Dumbledore?" Nora asked.  
  
"I can't. I promised that I wouldn't say anything, though I knew I'd end up telling you  
anyway. He'll probably spread rumors about me making out with him during our practises, and  
then the whole school'll think that I like him."  
  
"But you don't like him, and you didn't have a choice about whether he kissed you or not.   
I remember you saying that he had you tight, and he's strong. You wouldn't've been able to get  
away, even though you wanted to. Right?"  
  
"Exactly. When I got away I tripped on my robes and fell, and he had the nerve to try and  
help me up! Then I sat down to start working, and he started fiddling with my hair! I yelled at  
him, but he wasn't listening. The b******."  
  
***  
  
Sirius lay listlessly on his bed, thinking about his day. Everything had gone well until the  
play practise. Why did she hate him? What had he done to her? Forgetting that he was used to  
tormenting her, he couldn't think of a thing. Sure, he'd gotten carried away, but who could blame  
him? She was really pretty, especially when she was angry. He'd seen her angry often enough to  
know her telltale signs of fury. Rigid control, flashing eyes, deliberate blinking. It was obvious.   
But she never blew her top. Never let it get out of hand, not even when someone was insulting  
her. Her yelling at him was the first time he'd ever seen her lose control.   
  
"What's wrong, Padfoot? Did you get a lecture from McGonagall or something?"  
  
"No. Nothing like that."  
  
"Well, how was play practise? You don't seem to be dead or wounded, so I'm guessing it  
went all right."  
  
"Guess again. She got really mad at me."  
  
James sighed. "What did you do this time?"  
  
"Nothing!"  
  
"Very funny. If you didn't do anything, why did she get mad?" He rolled his eyes and  
raised his eyebrows.  
  
Sirius rolled over onto his stomach and sighed heavily. "She got up to leave, but I  
grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She told me to let go, but I wouldn't. Said something  
about escorting her to her chair. She couldn't get away, so she kept walking. Before she sat  
down, I kissed her. Well, you know her. Got angry at me and started yelling about me bragging  
to you guys about how she fights when I do that. Then she left."  
  
James whistled. "And how many times have you 'done that,' as you put it?"  
  
"It was in the script the first time, and then today. Why?"  
  
"I know you did it to make her angry yesterday, not just because it was in the script. You  
purposely chose that scene so you would have to kiss her, and don't deny it. Why today? Was  
she turning on the charm or something?"  
  
"You've seen how pretty she looks when she's angry. She didn't need to turn the charm  
on, she was that angry."  
  
"Oh. Have you told anyone?"  
  
"Just you."  
  
"Keep it that way. She'll be even angrier if you spread it all around school."  
  
"How do you know? I wasn't planning on it. You don't tell people that the girl you were  
kissing pushed you away, now, do you?"  
  
"She pushed you away?" He demanded.  
  
"Yeah. Then she tripped and fell. I offered to help her up, but she just told me not to  
touch her."  
  
"She's yelled at you plenty of times. Why're you so down now?"  
  
"Because she and I have to work together for the rest of the school year, that's why! I see  
her for two hours every day, and for those two hours she'll torture me by just being there, flicking  
her hair back or widening her eyes to go with the emotion she has for the script."  
  
"You can get through the play in less than two hours. Your parts, at least. You'll get to  
kiss her every time, and she won't be able to push you away because it'll be in the script. H***, if  
I were forced to kiss Lily every day I'd be excited. Think of it that way. She can't do anything."  
  
"I hope."  
  
***  
  
Sirius was already inside the Great Hall when Elaine got there. "Hey, baby," he drawled.  
  
"Must you be so obnoxious?" She demanded.   
  
"Of course. It's one of my charms."  
  
"Says you."  
  
"Hey, if I don't say so, who will? Have you worked on the script at all? We left in kind  
of a hurry yesterday."  
  
"Yeah, I did, actually. I completely rewrote it and put in the names of the people who  
should play each part. The basic idea is that a young Auror named Cleo goes to a senior officer  
because she needs help for her squad. He ends up staying with her squad for a long time and they  
fall in love. They get married. Later they plan a really big skirmish against the Death Eaters and  
get killed. The last scene is the two of them up in Heaven with angels all around to make a  
happy ending. You can take it back to your dorm tonight and edit if you want. Take a look at the  
choices for the parts. If you disagree we can talk about it tomorrow when we run through."  
  
"Must you be so efficient?" He asked.  
  
"Of course. It's one of my charms," she replied, grinning.  
  
"Says you." He muttered. She laughed.   
  
"Five points to me!" Sirius called happily.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I got you to laugh. I get five points every time you laugh, four every time you giggle,  
three when you grin, and two when you sort of half-smile, like you want to but won't," he  
explained. "You smiled and you laughed. That's eight points."  
  
"And the point of this is...?"  
  
"If I get to a hundred before the play you have to let me take you out to dinner."  
  
"In your dreams!" She laughed again, then shut her mouth.  
  
"Five more points! Now I've got thirteen."  
  
"Nice to know that you can add," Elaine teased. She was sort of smiling.   
  
"That's a half-smile if I ever saw one. Fifteen for me!"  
  
"This is all well and good, but we need a design for costumes. I want to get them to  
Madam Malkin soon. I was thinking something like this..."  
  
***  
  
By three o'clock Elaine had laughed, smiled, and half-grinned, which brought Sirius' total  
to twenty-five. This made her very grumpy, but she decided not to show it. Her friends thought  
she was in a bad mood, so they let her alone for a bit before finding out that no, Sirius hadn't tried  
to bother her again, which certainly baffled them for a while. James was surprised to find Sirius  
looking through his dress robes, trying to pick out the best one.  
  
"What're you doing?"He asked. "As far as I know, you haven't got a girlfriend, so you  
aren't going anywhere."  
  
"I've got a bet on with Elaine. Every time she laughs, giggles, smiles, or half-grins I get a  
certain number of points. If I get to a hundred before the play is over, she has to let me take her  
out. I got twenty-five today."  
  
"You're a quarter of the way there," James commented.  
  
"I know. That's why I'm looking at dress robes."  
  
"Oh," his friend said. "How long do you think it'll take you?"  
  
"Maybe a week. I'm irresistable. She won't be able to stop grinning."  
  
"The question is, why'll she start?"  
  
"Oh, shut up, Prongs, and hand me that key."  
  
***  
  
December saw their cast picked and practised. Daily practises continued, to Sirius'  
enjoyment. Dumbledore sometimes dropped by and gave suggestions, but usually just watched  
them work. It was funny for him to see Elaine, just a scant inch shorter than her partner, glare  
and order him around. Even funnier were the remarks Sirius made, generally about her clothes or  
hair. Those days that Dumbledore didn't watch were even funnier. Every day that they ran  
through it, Sirius would get better at the part, but lose his control completely when the romance  
scene started. He'd grin at Elaine while he was talking, just because he knew what was going to  
happen and how they'd have to do it. She still glared at him, but it made no difference. No  
matter how many times it happened, that scene promised to be Sirius' favorite.   
  
"I only know that I love you truly, Cleo," he'd say to her, gravely contemplating the  
importance that went with those words. She lit up beautifully, seemingly excited, and looked into  
his eyes as he walked towards her. His favorite 'pose,' as he called it, was to pull her close with  
his hands around her waist and her elbows on his collarbone, hands clasped together. He'd tilt his  
head slightly, close his eyes, and seal his lips over hers. She didn't struggle. In fact, over the  
weeks, she'd started to kiss him back a little instead of letting him do all the work. She thought  
Sirius was too wrapped up to notice the slight difference, but he later saw what had happened.   
Being there, holding her around the waist and having her pressed against him made it Heaven. It  
tickled and sent shivers, like a drop of water down his back, fired his passion, and pulled her  
closer. Inwardly, Elaine knew that she should have been revulsed by his lips on hers, but she  
couldn't help acknowledging the fire that raced through her veins when he touched her hand or  
covered her lips with his. He wouldn't let go, either. She would pull away slightly and be drawn  
in again, lost in an icy world that only involved the ice cubes running down her spine.   
  
***  
  
"Prongs! You'll never believe it, I swear you won't,"Sirius called as he entered his dorm.  
  
"What's happened now? Did Elaine hit you over the head again for not letting her go?"  
  
"No. She kissed me back! Before it was like kissing a Bludger; she just stood there and  
let me, but didn't do anything. Now she's actually doing something. I don't know, Prongs. You  
think she likes me?"  
  
"Did she say anything to you afterwards?"  
  
"That was the afterwards. We did that scene last, about twenty minutes to three, and I  
kept her there till five after."  
  
"She's going to get mad if you keep kissing her like that. I sincerely doubt that she  
actually wants to stand there with you for however long it is. Doesn't she fight you?"  
  
Sirius grinned. "She can't. Since her character's in love with mine, it wouldn't be  
realistic, so she can't do it."  
  
"You're excited, I can tell. Christmas is in two days; is that it?"  
  
"That's part of it. I now have 99 points. Just one more till she has to let me take her out.   
That's the deal."  
  
"You're in luck, Padfoot. Dumbledore told me that we'll be having a ball to celebrate the  
hard work you and the others in the play have been doing. You and Elaine especially. If you get  
that point tomorrow, she has to go to the ball with you."  
  
"Now you're talking!"  
  
"I just did."  
  
"Just did what?"  
  
"Talked. You said 'now you're talking,' so I said that I had a minute ago."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
***  
  
On Wednesday night, Sirius stood outside the Great Hall in his dress robes, waiting for  
Elaine. She had laughed when he told a story about being dropped on his head as a child, then  
realised that she had to go to the ball with him and glared furiously.  
  
"You don't have to go with him," Mary-Ann had tried to say.  
  
"Yes I do. I promised." Elaine sighed. "I can't go back on my promise. I have to go  
with him. Pass me my dress shoes." She didn't want to tell Mary-Ann, but she was sort of  
looking forward to the ball. Sirius looked good normally, but was sure to be especially polished  
when he was dressed up.  
  
Sirius was watching the doors of the Great Hall when someone tapped him on the  
shoulder. He turned around and gaped. It was Elaine. Her long hair, sleek and shiny, was in a  
ponytail at the base of her neck. It curled at the ends, as usual, but some glittering jewels were  
pinned in, giving it extra shimmer. What really made him stare was her dress. Light blue velvet  
brought out the blue in her eyes, showing the difference from her normal stormy gray. It had no  
back, but tied around the neck. A long, flowing skirt, complemented by silvery shoes, billowed  
around her calves. Several other boys eyed her jealously, glaring at Sirius for stealing the best  
looking girl there (not counting Lily, but she was James's girlfriend and wouldn't have gone with  
anyone else). Long lashes, enhanced by makeup, flickered as she saw her partner's expression  
and tried not to laugh.   
  
"I don't look as bad as all that," she said, breaking the trance.  
  
Sirius shut his mouth quickly. "Not at all," he murmured. "You look gorgeous."  
  
He would have said more, but Dumbledore came up to the pair and smiled. "It's a  
pleasant surprise to see you two together. I have news to deliver, however. The wedding scene  
includes the whole school, so you must do it as a sort of rehearsal before the ball starts. Come  
backstage with me and we'll let give you scripts to work from."  
  
"All--all right, Professor," Elaine said, butterflies in her stomach. She well knew that the  
wedding included a kiss after the pastor married them. It would be horribly embarrassing.  
  
Sirius had no such qualms. He grinned evilly and grabbed James, whispering an  
explanation (James played the best man). Mary-Ann caught up quickly.   
  
At eight on the dot their pretend performance started. It went smoothly, including the  
first years who were playing the flower girl and the best man. Elaine was sure she'd answered all  
the right things, even though the pastor ( Remus Lupin, one of Sirius' friends) kept looking at  
Sirius oddly.  
  
"You may kiss the bride," he said. Sirius needed no second bidding. He drew Elaine into  
his embrace and pressed himself against her, still surprised at the way she reacted. Not for  
nothing, though, was he a Marauder. It was the first time they'd done a scene publicly, and he  
wanted to make it special. To everyone else it looked like they were just kissing, but Elaine  
nearly leapt backwards several times while Sirius insisted on snogging her, leaving her no choice  
but to remain in his hold. His hands, on her bare skin, burned and tingled while his mouth was in  
action.   
  
"Padfoot, I think that's enough. She's been sufficiently traumatised for tonight," James  
whispered. Reluctantly Sirius stood up as the curtains closed.   
  
"What the H*** did you think you were doing?" Elaine demanded in whispered fury.  
  
Sirius had no idea why she was upset. "I was kissing you, that's what I thought I was  
doing. I didn't exactly have a choice, did I? It's in the script."  
  
"That's not what I meant! You put your tongue in my mouth!"  
  
"Oh, that. Thought you'd like it."  
  
"Are you crazy? I'd rather kiss the right-hand head of a runespoor!"  
  
"That can be arranged. I don't see why you're so riled up, it's no big deal." Sirius had no  
idea why she was so angry. If she'd done it to him, he would've been overjoyed. The real  
problem was the way she'd recoiled when he'd started snogging. She'd nearly jumped  
backwards, for Heaven's sake!   
  
"It's no big deal, you say. You'll see how big a deal it is when you're alone on the dance  
floor!"  
  
"You can't leave. You promised you'd come to the ball with me." He said smugly,  
grinning.  
  
"Exactly. I promised I'd come; I didn't say I'd stay. C'mon, Mary-Ann. I'm going back  
to the dorm," she ordered and flounced off without a backward glance.  
  
James appeared a few minutes later and asked "How's it going?"  
  
"It went," Sirius muttered.  
  
***  
  
"HE did WHAT?!" Mary-Ann shrieked once they'd returned to the Ravenclaw  
dormitories. "No wonder you jumped back!"  
  
In a fury, Elaine had ripped the gems out of her hair and changed into her pajamas. She  
lay on her bed, head facing towards the middle of the room. Now, in flannel trousers and a tank  
top, she was relaxed.  
  
"No s***. I swear, I'll kill him for that. It's not enough that I'm supposed to be in love  
with him and have to kiss him in the play, oh, no, he has to snog me as well! Good God!"  
  
Mary-Ann didn't seem to be paying attention. Her eyes were unfocused and her breaths  
came hard and fast. No amount of waving hands in front of her face and calling 'Earth to Mary-Ann, Earth to Mary-Ann, come in Mary-Ann' registered a reaction.   
  
Suddenly, her eyes snapped open and her breathing became more regular. "You love him,  
don't you?" She asked softly.   
  
"WHAT?!?!"  
  
"I said, 'You love him, don't you?'"   
  
"Love who?"  
  
"Sirius. I saw your feelings and thoughts for a second. You love him."  
  
"You're batty. I-- well-- I mean to say--"  
  
Mary-Ann looked grave. "I'm not crazy. I saw how you feel when he kisses you, and  
what you think about him in general. It's important, Elaine. I saw him, too. He can't stand it  
when you're mad at him. He loves you, and you love him. He's also right outside, so I'm going  
to ask him to come in." A crash was heard from outside. Mary-Ann opened the door and looked  
down. "Come in. We won't tell."  
  
"What're YOU doing here?" Elaine demanded.  
  
"I followed you. I got here when you started talking about how mad you were at me." He  
blushed bright red, but continued at a nod from Mary-Ann. "I was listening outside cause I  
wanted to know what you were so angry at me for."  
  
"Well, now you know, so get out!" She ordered. Her friend smacked her upside the head.  
  
"Cut it out! I went into a trance a second ago, and I saw into both of your minds. I  
would have asked you first, but I didn't have a choice. The important thing is that you two love  
each other--"  
  
"Hold on! I never said I liked him!"  
  
"You don't have to say it. I saw it in your mind, and thoughts don't lie. Same with him.   
Now, both of you, apologise, or I'll do it on purpose and tell you what the other thinks."  
  
"I didn't do anything!"  
  
"Neither did I!"  
  
If you insist, thought Mary-Ann. Now, to find something interesting... Perfect. Now  
from Elaine... wonderful.   
  
She snapped out of her trance to grin evilly. "Elaine, Sirius thinks you're dead sexy when  
you're angry. Sirius, Elaine got angry that you kissed her that day because she was mad at herself  
for liking it. Elaine, Sirius dreams about you at night. Sirius, Elaine likes play practise because  
she gets to practise acting by pretending to hate you. Elaine, Sirius wants to know how you got  
such d*** pretty eyes that they make him woozy when he looks at you. Sirius, Elaine wants to  
know why having you hold her so tight when you kiss her makes her dizzy. Elaine--"  
  
"All right, all right, enough already," Sirius said, bright red. Elaine was scarlet as well.  
  
"Look, I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't've done that."  
  
"I'm sorry for leading you on. It was mean of me to make you think I hated you."   
  
"It's okay. You must be a brilliant actress; I thought you were furious with me after I  
kissed you."  
  
"I was furious. I was angry because I knew I liked you and didn't want to accept it. By  
acting all the time I sort of made it seem like a dream."  
  
"I'd better go. James'll be wondering where I've gotten to." He walked out, a silly grin  
plastered onto his face.  
  
"Sirius! Wait!"  
  
He turned around, confused. "What?"  
  
"Do you really think I look sexy when I'm angry?"  
  
"Yeah," he admitted. "Do I really make you dizzy by holding you tightly?"  
  
"Yeah," she said, blushing. "You'd better go, before somebody comes back."  
  
***  
  
"Where were you? I looked all over!"  
  
"I was talking to Elaine in the Ravenclaw dorms."  
  
"After she got mad? I'm surprised she didn't curse you before you got the first word out.   
Why was she mad, anyway?"  
  
Sirius, still red from his conversation with Elaine, blushed deeper. "I got carried away  
during the wedding scene and started snogging her. Needless to say, she got angry at me and ran  
off."  
  
"She must be going over the edge. You don't seem to be wounded; did she do anything  
to you?"  
  
"No. I was listening outside the dormitory while she was ranting to Mary-Ann.   
Apparently, Mary-Ann went into a trance and saw into our minds. The next thing I heard was  
Mary-Ann asking Elaine if she loved me. That really threw me. I mean, you don't have to be a  
genius to know that she wouldn't tolerate me if we weren't doing the play together. Elaine tried  
to talk, but couldn't. I was called in and Mary-Ann said that if we didn't apologise to each other  
she'd look into our minds and say what we think about each other. We didn't say anything, so  
she started spilling. We apologised, and then I had to come back before you started a search  
party."  
  
"What exactly did Mary-Ann say?"  
  
Sirius, if possible, blushed deeper. "Nothing important, really. Doesn't matter."  
  
"It's that bad, is it? I can get Remus to make you tell me, you know. Then he'll be here  
as well, and all of us'll hear it. In fact, I think I can hear him now..."  
  
"Fine, fine. D'you want to hear what I think about Elaine or what Elaine thinks about  
me?"  
  
"Both. Start talking."  
  
"I don't really remember, but--"  
  
"Padfoot, I'm warning you," James said, an evil grin playing about his lips.  
  
"All right, all right, don't get your knickers in a twist. Mary-Ann said that I think Elaine's  
dead sexy when she's angry, that she got mad at me when I kissed her that day because she didn't  
want to accept that she liked it, that I dream about her at night, that she likes coming to play  
practise with me because she gets to act like she hates me, that I want to know how she got such  
d*** pretty eyes that I feel woozy when I look at her, and that she wants to know why she feels  
dizzy when I hold her tightly while we're doing that scene. You happy now?"  
  
"Very. I'd be even happier if you could say that without turning bright red, but that's  
beside the point. You can go to bed now. You're worn out, I think."  
  
"Why did you want to know what we think about each other?"  
  
"No reason. Just curious, I guess."  
  
"You're too d*** curious for your own good. It'll kill you someday."  
  
"As long as it doesn't kill me tomorrow, I don't care. I wanted to write to my parents."  
  
***  
  
"He thinks what now?" Nora demanded later, after hearing what was in Sirius' mind about  
Elaine.  
  
"He thinks she's dead sexy when she's angry," Mary-Ann said without a trace of remorse.   
Elaine was trying to bury her head under the covers. "You know what's really romantic? He  
dreams about her! I saw it in his mind. Lots and lots of dreams about her in a bikini at the beach,  
you wouldn't believe..."  
  
"Shut it, Mary-Ann! I don't want the whole school to know!"  
  
"Since when is Nora the whole school? I'm just telling her the last thing. Sirius wonders-- these are his own words-- how she got such d*** pretty eyes that they make him woozy when  
he looks at her. Can you believe it? I never thought of him as one to get lost in a girl's eyes."  
  
"Probably cause he's too thick to find his way out," Nora said.  
  
The muffled voice from under the covers said "Amen to that."  
  
"You shouldn't talk about him like that. He's your boyfriend, after all," Mary-Ann  
reprimanded.  
  
"He is NOT my boyfriend!"  
  
"You're in love with him and he's not your boyfriend. That makes a H*** of a lot of  
sense."  
  
"Ermph," Elaine muttered. "If you two are discussing this when the others come back, I  
will not be happy. They don't particularly like me, and I think they do like Sirius, so... I'll be in a  
lot of trouble if you say anything. In fact, I'm going to sleep before I get embarrassed. You two  
just keep on talking."  
  
"Gladly. You know what else I saw? Tonight, during the wedding scene, when Sirius  
kissed her, she was wearing that dress without the back, remember? He was wondering what  
she'd done that his hands go on fire when he touches her, especially her bare skin."  
  
"Why are you telling me this? You should be telling Elaine. She's his girlfriend, you owe  
it to her."  
  
"I'm going to let him tell her. I'd give anything to see them then; him all embarrassed and  
her just staring. It'll be hilarious."  
  
"Let's just hope that they see it the same way."  
  
***  
  
The next morning at breakfast James was telling Remus and Peter what had happened to  
Sirius when Snape walked up.   
  
"You're not saying that Black's got a girlfriend? Who is it, Patricia Bulstrode?"  
  
Sirius snorted. "I'm not very likely to tell you, now, am I? Find out yourself."  
  
"Gladly." Walking back to his table, Snape heard someone at Ravenclaw mention the  
words 'Sirius', 'Elaine,' and 'in love.' Ah, he thought. That must be it. He has to be fantasizing;  
after all, he's been trying to date Minord since fourth year, and she wouldn't do anything except  
glare at him and put him down. Hah! He wishes she'd go out with him. This is too good to be  
true. A girl is actually resisting Black. Nice to hear it. Now to tell Minord, who will get angry  
and blast Black into pieces...  
  
"Elaine?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Just wanted to tell you, I was passing by the Gryffindor table and heard Black bragging  
about being your boyfriend. If he's spreading lies about you, I think you ought to know."  
  
"He isn't lying," Elaine said quietly. "He is my boyfriend."  
  
Shocked, Snape took a step backward. "Oh. Sorry to bother you, I guess."  
  
"WHAT?!" Three other Ravenclaw seventh years demanded.  
  
"How many times does she have to say it? She's going out with Sirius. It's not that big a  
deal. Finish your breakfasts, we have to leave for first class."  
  
***  
  
Vacation was drawing to a close. It was breakfast time on New Years Day. Sirius was  
rather jumpy; he kept looking over at the Ravenclaw table and was waiting for the post to come  
in. James rolled his eyes and kept eating, not bothering to ask for the problem. He would know  
when the time came.   
  
Owls swooped down, many with rolls of parchment and newspapers attached to their  
talons. One in particular landed in front of Elaine at the Ravenclaw table. It had a tiny box and  
some parchment tied to it. Unrolling it, she saw this note:  
  
Dear Elaine:  
Happy New Year! I wanted to give you something, and I wasn't really, erm, inclined  
towards giving you anything until late on Christmas, so here it is. Just a little something from me.   
See you at play practise.  
~Sirius  
  
"That's sweet," Mary-Ann said, looking over Elaine's shoulder. "Open it."  
  
"Fine, fine, don't get pushy." She tore the paper off and picked up the box lid. Inside, on  
a piece of dark red velvet, lay a silver chain with an aqua pendant.   
  
"Do you like it?" Sirius asked. He'd walked over while she was talking to Mary-Ann and  
reading the note.   
  
"I love it. Thank you so much," she said, standing up. He grinned as she hugged him  
quickly. Before she could sit down again, he planted a kiss on her lips and held her there,  
prolonging the joy that appeared when she was pressed against him. Her mind spun. His arms  
around her waist made her feel safe, like someone was protecting her. She gladly hung hers  
around his neck, savoring the feeling of being held tightly, so tightly that she couldn't have moved  
an inch if she'd wanted to. He, too, was lost in excitement. It was the first time he'd taken the  
initiative; indeed, the only other times they'd been so close were when it was demanded by the  
script.   
  
Wolf whistles and cheers broke them apart rapidly. Elaine sat down, bright red, and  
continued to eat. Sirius made his way back to the Gryffindor table, where he attempted to hide  
behind James. His friend just laughed and pushed him away. Half of the school was staring at  
him, and the other half was looking at Elaine. She finished her eggs quickly and slipped out  
before anyone could mention it.   
  
"You sure put your foot in it this time, Padfoot," James said. "Did I say foot? I meant to--"  
  
"Very funny," his friend growled, still scarlet.  
  
"She didn't seem to object," he pointed out. "That's a good thing, isn't it?"  
  
"I suppose. I don't know what came over me. We were in the middle of the Great Hall,  
everyone was looking at us anyway, after she hugged me. I could've waited until we were  
alone."  
  
"But you didn't. You'll see her alone for two hours this afternoon. Don't worry about  
it."  
  
"That's what you always say."  
  
"Yes, it is."  
  
***  
  
June was creeping up on them. By the middle of March all they needed to do was fine  
tune their actions and emotions and work on the sets. The one they were having the most trouble  
with was the last scene, where the main characters were up in Heaven. Finally they used magic to  
create mist and clouds, added a little bit of golden sparks, and it looked perfect. Sirius was  
looking at it wistfully when Elaine came in.  
  
"Something's wrong," she said immediately. "Are you all right?"  
  
"I got an owl this morning. My parents are dead." Normally so bright, his eyes had  
darkened considerably, like a storm cloud was blocking the light.  
  
She hugged him, hard. "I'm so sorry. I understand."  
  
"How can you understand? Your parents are still alive!"  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I don't think my parents are alive," she whispered. "They vanished when I was in second  
year. I haven't heard from them since."  
  
"I'm sorry," he said, forgetting his own misery in the effort to comfort her.  
  
"The only reason I started acting was because I thought that if I tried hard enough to be  
like them, they would come back. It didn't work."  
  
"It's not just that they're not here any more. I didn't tell them something. I--I haven't  
told you, either. Here." With a pop, he turned into a dog, pranced around, and turned back.   
"I'm an Animagus," he whispered.   
  
"That's great, I guess. It's not important, really. I can't imagine how hard this must be  
for you, to have to talk about it. I'll leave so you can just have some quiet time to yourself."  
  
"No, don't. Stay here with me, please?" He sat down on the stage and patted the place  
next to him.  
  
"All--all right. If that's what you want."  
  
"Yes," he whispered. "That is what I want."  
  
Her eyebrows went up about a mile, but she didn't say anything, just sat down next to  
him. Instinctively, she leaned her head on his shoulder. He stroked her hair, then ran his fingers  
down her cheek and turned her head to look at him.  
  
He seemed serious for once. "I love you. You know that, right?" She smiled. Even when  
talking about a serious subject, he made her laugh. "Good," he said. He let her lean her head on  
his shoulder again and slung his arm over her side, sort of claiming her as his. "I don't know what  
I'd do without you. Love is so much more valued now. I mean, if You-Know-Who symbolizes  
hate, shouldn't we symbolize love? He's ripping us apart. If two people, us, maybe, could stay  
together, maybe he wouldn't have so much power. It's like the play. They lived, they loved, they  
fought, they died together, and stayed together in Heaven. Sounds like a d*** good life right  
now. It's so much more complicated. I mean, fighting doesn't matter so much if we lose, does  
it? We're all dead anyway, right? Like my parents. They were great people. They fought  
Voldemort, and now they're dead. Nothing will be remembered except the fact that they died  
fighting. Sure, it's honorable and all, but it doesn't do any good. You know what the letter I got  
said? It just said that they died honorably. That's all it'll say on their graves. It won't mention  
the lectures I got from Dad for not causing enough trouble, the way Mum sort of tried to  
understand my life but never really managed, but I loved her for trying, or how they disagreed to  
disagree so much that it was a family joke. It's not fair!"  
  
"Whoever said life was fair? It's not supposed to be fair. Some people will probably say  
that it isn't fair that we have so much love and they don't have any. You know what? It doesn't  
matter what it says on their graves, or whether or not we end up getting beaten by Voldemort.   
As long as we remember who they really were, what it says on their graves is just a foot note.   
And then there's Voldemort. It's like that saying, it doesn't matter if you win or lose but how  
you play the game. And if we lose, we'll have done what was right, even if he kills us. He's just  
another person. Sure, he's a d*** evil person, but he's no better than anybody else, right?   
Personally, I'd rather be dead than living in his empire. Especially if you were there with me."  
  
"Sounds like a plan to me," Sirius murmured drowsily. So much emotion had made him  
tired. Elaine seemed to share the feeling.   
  
"Your friend Peter. He looks like a rat, doesn't he? Always scurrying around like  
somebody'll hurt him."  
  
"He turns into a rat, like I turn into a dog, you know? And why did you suddenly bring it  
up?"  
  
"I blame randomness," she yawned. A second later she was asleep, her head on Sirius'  
shoulder. He, too, fell asleep, head on top of hers.   
  
***  
  
A few hours later, at dinnertime, the first years that came in to eat were surprised to see a  
pair of dozing seventh years sitting on the stage.  
  
"Aren't they the ones in the play?" One who wasn't in it at all asked.  
  
"Yeah," the girl who played the flower girl responded. "You'll never believe what she  
was yelling at him when we got backstage. When he kissed her he'd done something really nasty  
and she was mad. I don't think she likes him much."  
  
"If she doesn't like him, I know he likes her. Remember when he kissed her at breakfast?   
She wasn't upset, I didn't think."  
  
"Keep moving, firsties," James called, pushing through. "What's the hold up? Go sit--   
oh. Correction. Maybe you'd better wait outside for a while." Ushering them out, he walked up  
to the stage, smiling to himself. And Sirius said he didn't like her all that much, he thought.   
Yeah, and I'll volunteer to referee for the next Thunderers-Warriors match.   
  
"Wake up, you two. It's dinnertime." The pair, still oblivious, slept on. He shook Sirius  
violently. "Get up, Padfoot. Elaine's stuck." Sirius looked up dazedly, then realized who it was.   
  
"What're you doing here? I was in bed, it's not time to get up yet-- oh God. I fell asleep,  
didn't I?"  
  
"Yes, you most certainly did. Get up, it's dinnertime."  
  
"I can't."  
  
"What do you mean, 'I can't'?"  
  
"If I get up, she'll fall and crack her skull open. I won't do that."  
  
"So wake her up! It's your problem, not mine."  
  
Sirius grinned sheepishly. "Right. Hey, Elaine? Can you get up? Please? I'm sort of  
stuck..."  
  
"Hunh? How did you get in here? You're not allowed."  
  
"Everyone's allowed in the Great Hall."  
  
"Wha? But-- dormitory--you can't be in here--"  
  
"Well, I am, so face it and get up. It's dinnertime."  
  
"Can't be."  
  
"It is. D'you want me to resort to desperate measures to wake you up?"  
  
"Meh."  
  
"I'll take that as a yes." He now smiled evilly. "To wake a sleeping princess, you kiss her.   
I'll try the same thing." A devilish look flashed across his face, but it was gone as soon as he  
kissed her. James somehow knew that his friend wasn't trying to be gentle. It was in his  
expression.   
  
Something was happening to her mouth. It wasn't unpleasant, whatever it was, but her  
whole body was on fire. Odd, she thought. I only feel this way when Sirius-- d***. I fell asleep,  
didn't I? Time to wake up, she thought, before he rips my lips off. Give him a scare. She smiled  
to herself, but gently, oh so gently, she started to press back, until they were in a frenzy. His  
tongue was all over; his hands pulled her in and caressed her neck. He broke away for air and  
came back, pressing deep, holding her up but pushing her down at the same time. Working into a  
frantic passion was easy. She, too, was excited and frantic, searching for something on his lips  
but not finding it, letting his tongue do all the work.  
  
"Um, Sirius? The first years are staring."  
  
They jerked back to reality, jumping backwards at the same time. Synchronised, they both  
blushed scarlet and walked away, cheeks burning.  
  
"Oh," Sirius muttered. "Didn't mean to put on a show. We seem to be doing that a lot."  
  
"No s***," James said, dragging his friend to their table and sitting down. "You know,  
I've heard that being gentle with a girl is a good tactic. Especially when trying to get her to wake  
up."  
  
"What're you on about?"  
  
"Don't play the dunce, Black. I saw you getting hot 'n heavy with Miss Minord. I  
wouldn't've been surprised if you'd tried to take her robes off."  
  
If possible, he turned even redder. "Shove off. I've seen you and Lily at it, you can't  
pretend you haven't done the same thing."  
  
It was James's turn to blush. "Okay, okay. I'll be quiet. Though you do have an  
audience these days."  
  
"I know. It's getting quite annoying. I can't have a good snog with my girlfriend without  
the whole school watching."  
  
***  
  
Exams crept up on them. The N.E.W.Ts, the hardest tests they'd ever take, were the  
same week as the play. Even though they were sure that everything would go smoothly, Sirius  
and Elaine were a little worried about the last scene. Sirius had something in mind, but decided to  
just do it instead of telling her. The rest of his attention was focused on studying.  
  
Finally, on the day of the play, exams ended. Elaine picked at her food during dinner. Her  
stomach was turning over and over. What if something went wrong? What if Sirius tried  
something? The very thought ran icy chills down her spine. Sure, whatever he tried would  
probably be romantic, but she doubted that the audience would be happy. Especially not if it  
involved his hands. He'd gotten very active the past few times they'd run through the scenes,  
spidering his hands and lips all over her back and neck. Always, though, he'd return to her  
mouth, delving deeper than ever and electrifying her with his hands on her neck, massaging it  
absently.   
  
Backstage, whispering to Mary-Ann, she said nervously "I don't think this is hard enough.   
It's not like acting any more. I don't have to pretend anything, and neither does he."  
  
"You're not dead yet. You'll have to pretend that, at least. The rest won't be difficult at  
all." Elaine's cue was said, and Mary-Ann whispered "Good luck!" before her friend vanished  
onstage.   
  
From the audience, James watched his friend approach 'Cleo' and protest his undying  
love. He found it funny that his parents were whispering about how realistic it seemed. Later,  
he'd probably end up telling them that Sirius and Elaine were in love, but it was more fun to hear  
them mutter about the seamless performance.  
  
"Sirius seems to be enjoying himself," his mother muttered, watching the two stars cling  
together and kiss desperately.  
  
"He is," James said. "Trust me."   
  
"What do you mean by that?"  
  
"He loves her."  
  
"I can't imagine true love at, what is it, seventeen? It's probably just a crush."  
  
"Don't tell him that."  
  
The last scene, unmarred by earthly things, was set beautifully. A flick of her wand set  
Elaine's hair into ringlets that cascaded around her face. She sat next to Sirius, leaning on him.   
He pulled her close, so close that they both turned a little pink. The curtains opened partway,  
revealing the couple blissfully settled in that happy home above. He stroked her hair deliberately,  
then gently kissed her forehead. She smiled and looked up at him angelically. He was there. Her  
rock, her port, her tie to the world. If he couldn't protect her, who would? She snuggled up a  
little and closed her eyes. The curtains closed to a roar of applause. They stood up, sighing.  
  
"Well, that's over with," Elaine said quietly.  
  
"No, it's not. We'll remember, won't we?"  
  
"Of course. Meet you at the party."  
  
"Right. When did Dumbledore say it was? I was trying too hard to hide behing James  
after he said it was to congratulate us on a very realistic practice to pay much attention."  
  
"11:00 in the Great Hall. See you there."  
  
***  
  
A white gown was all Elaine wore to the party. Her hair, still curled, floated down to rest  
on her shoulders. The doors were thrown open at exactly eleven, revealing the stage, curtains  
open, with tables covered in food and drink. Music started playing from the wings.  
  
"Care to dance?" Sirius asked. She grinned, and he grabbed her arm. The song was slow,  
perfect for what he had in mind. A box banged against his leg reassuringly. He knew it was the  
right thing to do, but little nagging doubts were attacking from all directions. Never mind, he  
thought. Worry about it when the song ends. He took his own advice and surrendered to the big,  
gray eyes fixed on him.   
  
It ended quickly. Almost too quickly, Sirius thought. He wasn't ready! It was too late.   
He was already bending down and pulling the box out.  
  
He snapped it open to show the gorgeous diamond ring inside. "Elaine, will you marry  
me?"  
  
Her eyes widened to a point that he hadn't thought possible. The color rising to his face,  
he stood up and put the ring away dejectedly. He started to walk away.   
  
Elaine snapped out of it. "Of course I'll marry you!"  
  
"You mean it? You don't hate me after all?"  
  
"Yes, I mean it," she said, exasperated.  
  
Sirius let out a loud whoop and grabbed her around the waist, swinging her in a circle  
before burying his lips in hers. She pulled away.   
  
"Don't scare the first years," she whispered. "It can wait."  
  
"No, it can't," he insisted. "Excuse us," he said to the others with a nod of his head.   
Resting his palms on the middle of her back, he smiled softly. She grinned back, resting her  
forehead against his for a second. He was gentle at first, barely touching her, then slowly delved  
deeper. She later thought that it was like submerging herself in a hot bath. Starting with her  
mouth, every part of her slowly got warm; heated, she was sure, by the abnormally quick beating  
of her heart. Sirius took a breath and returned, first making his way up her neck and then to her  
mouth. He could feel her chest rising and falling as she breathed. Her hair, tangled and in his  
face, was soft and silky to the touch. No longer caring that everyone watched, he snogged  
desperately, letting no surface go untouched. She, surprisingly, broke off for a breath and eye  
smiled, telling him that she didn't care who objected, he could do whatever he d*** well liked.   
He responded by pulling her closer, holding her more tightly than even he thought possible. His  
tongue was allowed free reign while she tried to make headway against his lips, searching  
frantically and seeing his mouth without opening her eyes.   
  
To those watching, including James and the other seventh years, it looked like the two  
were obsessed each other. Elaine was being held up by the back and neck while she demonstrated  
another reason why her boyfriend had become her fiancee. Her body was one reason; her lips  
were quite another. They never stopped moving, even when he brushed her neck with his mouth,  
burning away her skin while electrifying her bones. Sirius' tongue was the most important in the  
operation, the older students knew. All of them heard his brags too often to underestimate him.   
  
Finally, after having run out of excitement, the two broke apart and stood together in the  
centre of the room. Rosy with some embarrassment and realizing that the professors were there as  
well, Sirius led Elaine to a chair, pulling it out for her and pushing it in. Mary-Ann sat on one side  
of her friend, eyebrows slightly raised.  
  
"I can't say that I enjoyed watching you two at it, but I'm pretty sure you did."  
  
"My mum kept commenting on how much Sirius seemed to be enjoying himself during the  
romance scenes. She wouldn't believe me when I said you two weren't really acting," James  
recounted, laughing.  
  
"I always knew you'd end up together," Mary-Ann insisted. "You complained about him  
too much for it to be real. I propose a toast. To Sirius and Elaine: Together At Last!"  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters. Elaine, Mary-Ann, and Nora  
belong to me, but I don't really like them. The play 'Antony and Cleopatra' belongs to Mr.  
William Shakespeare. He's rather dead at the moment, so he can't sue me, but I just thought I'd  
acknowledge his role in this. Actually, I've never read it, so if you have and don't think that my  
rendering of it is realistic, that's why. I just picked a play that I knew had some romance in it.   
Another thing. Nora is a slight cameo of one of my camp friends. Hi, Kit Kat! Done anything  
'graceful like a cat' lately? Sorry, inside joke. I know it's bad, but tell me how I can improve it.   
I might write a sequel if I get a lot of reviews. The words 'might' and 'if' are very important  
there. My parents are yelling, so I'd better go.  
  
I'm back. This is getting to be a long Disclaimer, isn't it? I'm issuing a challenge. I've never  
really described myself, and I wanted to know what you guys think I look like. How old I am,  
etc. Tell me in reviews. And another thing. None of the romance-type thingies in the story stem  
from personal experience. Like the Lily of Someone the First's 'The Parents Who Died:Tale#1,' I  
have a rather fiery attitude towards boys and concentrate more on doing well in classes than  
anything else, so I've never had a boyfriend. I know the story is rather Americanized, especially  
the way they talk, but that's how most of my friends talk, so it seems most realistic to me.  
  
Need I ask for reviews?  
  



End file.
